Thursday, 12 December 2013

Out now on DePlayer, in an edition of 200, "Public Sound #3: Yodelling", featuring a publication of the libretto for Ergo Phizmiz's "UOEIA: Favola in Jodel" and a green vinyl featuring, among other treats, an 8 minute edit of UOEIA. Add into that combination a new essay by Bart Plantenga, a yodeling score by Myriam van Imschoot, and recordings from Phil Minton, and Doreen Kutzke & Myriam Van Imschoot, then you have a package of yodeltastic stuff that's very lovely indeed.

"This Dept. of Public Sound release is related to the UOEIA I event by DE PLAYER, during Operadagen Rotterdam in May 2013 at BAR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

With soundtracks by Phil Minton, Ergo Phizmiz and Myriam van Imschoot & Doreen Kutzke on a 10" green vinyl/33 rpm.Includes printwork containg an article on yodeling and avant garde by bart plantenga, a libretto by Ergo Phizmiz of his yodel operina UOEIA and a musical score of her piece Hola Hu by Myriam van Imschoot.

UOEIA is a program that moves at the cutting edge of experimental sound/music and the phenomenon of yodeling; makes use of the rapid alternation between chest voice to falsetto. Inspired by the books Yodel-AY-EE-OOOO: The Secret History of Yodeling Around the World and more recently, Yodel in Hi-Fi, From Kitsch Folk to Contemporary Electronica, we are proud to bring you the second edition of UOEIA. These books focus on yodeling as a global phenomenon and answer the question: How did an ancient tradition from the Alps find its way into American country music? Yodeling is not just a Swiss thing. From African Pygmies, rhinestone cow-people, avant-garde tonsil-twisters, and Nazi Jugend SS, to pop stars like R. Kelly and Sly & the Family Stone to Bollywood star Kishore Kumar, and many more – all have made use of the yodel. Yodeling projects over great distances, and Tibetan monks, like Swiss cowherds, may have used them for centuries as a communication tool. Explorer Marco Polo may have heard them yodeling in the 13th century. Through him yodeling reached the Alps and from there in the nineteenth century it also reached the American cowboys."

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Close all your doors and windows! Take off your shoes! And the rest of your clothes! Lock up your daughters, and sons, then let them out again! And run, wildly, towards the Yellow Room of the Chapel in the Garden, in Bridport, this New Year's Eve.And what, in your stupor of unrelenting delight, will you find there that cold, winter's evening?Fine people, pillars of the community, chortling with the miscreants and the ne'er do wells. A feast of savoury snacks and delectable desserts, made by the hands of peoples. A wealth of live music, excessive entertainment, and beamy delights. The fifth of Bridport's popular feast of entertainment so cutting edge that it hurts like a paper-cut but doesn't wound too deeply, because it's just a paper cut, but it really hurts. But you just love to press down on it.With performances from force-of-nature and King Elvis Herod, whirlwind wizard of ebony and ivory Robert Lee, malfunctioning and factory-reject badly-made pop-star Ergo Phizmiz, Human Christmas Tree Martha Moopette, and Bridport's most famous man President Flora Bertolli. The evening will also feature a performance by the supergroup known only as The Last Pub Band in the Universe, who will play, and perhaps hurt a bit (but they like the pain), all your favourite songs.Tickets are just £3, the doors open at 8, and close, well, you know ... later.... bring a bottle or 4. Dressing up welcome but not obligatory. Nakedness always welcome.

We are delighted to announce a most delicious triple bill. The world's foremost musical-miniaturist-poet-and-monger-of-gorgeous-crunks-and-thuds Pete Um, the delicious-synth-and-drum-tastic-pop-noise-odyssey-merchants Mucky Sailor, and lock-up-your-daughters-and-sons-and-block-your-noses Ergo Phizmiz.Presented by Care in the Community Recordings, on December 19th at the Shacklewell Arms, London.

Mucky Sailor: Relentless, distorted and deranged prog-rhythm-rock duo of drums and large keyboard array that includes a bespoke ships wheel oscillator. Phenomenological.

Ergo Phizmiz: “Hailed in some quarters as the missing link between Viv Stanshall and Robert Wyatt”(Uncut) the song-writer,composer and performer opened the year with the album Eleven Songs (Loud and Quiet record of the week ) and his crazed music theatre piece Gargantua touring the UK and Europe .Both were loving detailed in a four page feature in The Wire. Ergo continued his year in typically prolific style with an opera commission from Trinity Laban and Tete-a-Tete, music for a Channel 4 animation series , started a movie soundtrack and has just begun a residency with the Opera Group. Ergo will perform either solo or with his three or four piece band with music from Eleven Songs and his forthcoming LP The Peacock.

Pete Um: A master of the miniature electro-acoustic song-poem, a form he has more or less invented and crystallised himself, his work displays a sardonic wit combined with a healthy misanthropy in micro-collages of voice, instruments, samples, and electronics."

To commemorate this joyous occasion, we decided to release EIN TOKSVIG. It's been a while coming, but here it is.

EIN TOKSVIG. Not a tribute to Sandi Toksvig, this song was written and recorded long before I'd ever heard the News Quiz. Now I have, of course, I think Sandi Toksvig is a marvellous little teddy-bear. The song itself, Toksvig aside, is heavy-metal nonsense. T.S. Eliot described Edward Lear's later nonsense poetry "the blues" - this is my answer. Nonsense metal. The rock'n'roll of non sequiturs and Toksvigs. But if the attitude of Lear's poetry defines it as "the blues", it is necessary for nonsense metal to fully adopt the necessary attitude of rage and testosterone. I recorded this song dressed entirely in leather, and had my nipples pierced for the occasion. The holes have since closed up.Another press release...

"You lucky folks can catch Ergo Phizmiz at The Shacklewell Arms on the 19th December playing songs from his forthcoming LP The Peacock due for release Spring 2014.

Ergo the song-writer, composer and performer opened the year with the album Eleven Songsand his crazed music theatre piece, Gargantua which toured the UK and Europe.

He also had an opera commission from Trinity Laban and Tete-a-Tete, music for Channel 4s Random Acts animation series and started a movie soundtrack. Ergo will perform music fromEleven Songs and The Peacock at the Shacklewell Arms and details of this special gig are below.

Care in the Community Recordings presents a night of avant-pop music with “one man movement” (The Wire) Ergo Phizmiz and Leeds based deranged prog-rhythm-rock duo, Mucky Sailor. They are joined by Pete Um and a stripped down set from Belarusian Sasha llyukevich backed on keyboards by Dave Maric (Steve Martland Band). DJ support from Nick Name (WFMU) Tickets HERE"